


Bubbly Respite

by DawnofHearts



Category: Persona 5
Genre: Comfort, Dating, F/M, Fluff, Fluff and Humor, Just a Kichijoji date, Love, Mid-Canon, Probably too much fluff tbh, Romance, Romantic Fluff, Wholesome
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-15
Updated: 2020-10-15
Packaged: 2021-03-08 20:40:27
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,180
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27022903
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DawnofHearts/pseuds/DawnofHearts
Summary: Taking a break from Sae's Palace, Futaba and Akira go to Jazz Jin in Kichijoji, where they usually go when they want to hang out and relax at night. This time, however, is different from all the previous times they've gone.Probably because they're dating now.
Relationships: Amamiya Ren/Sakura Futaba, Kurusu Akira/Sakura Futaba, Persona 5 Protagonist/Sakura Futaba
Comments: 1
Kudos: 34





	Bubbly Respite

**Author's Note:**

> I recommend that you know about Futaba's entire confidant as this directly follows after her romance Rank 10.
> 
> The asterisks (*****) indicate a change in time, location or both.
> 
> I'll save everything else for the end notes. Please enjoy!

“And here we are,” Akira Kurusu declared with a sense of relief. A smile formed on his face as the bright red letters of the Jazz Jin club stared at him. The poster near the entrance unfortunately stated that the lovely singer wouldn’t appear until later in the week. The train ride from Yongen-Jaya to Kichijoji was lengthier than normal yet it was also incredibly relaxing. This was in large part due to the fact that he had managed to find seats for both himself and the orange-haired person he was currently holding hands with.

“Y-Yeah,” a nervous Futaba Sakura responded. She gripped her Key Item’s hand a little tighter, as if trying to squeeze out the restlessness that refused to leave her body. She made a small gulp and took a deep breath. Her attitude had done a total one hundred-eighty degrees from how she was during the train trip.

Because of a massive delay in service, what should have been a quick twenty-five minute ride evolved into a one-hour journey. Inside the subway car, the hacker talked for almost half of that hour about a movie series she had seen the other night. Akira, always interested whenever his girlfriend got passionate about something, perked his ears and indulged her until she was satisfied, responding with questions and passion of his own. However, the rest of the voyage was silent. Futaba had felt a need to rest and placed her head on her partner’s shoulder. Unknown to the sleeping genius at the time, his heart had been beating as fast as hers was currently.

“Doing alright, Futaba?” There was a slight concern in the tall teenager’s voice.

“I know we’ve been to the jazz club before, but this is like... y’know? Our first time here a-as a... c-couple” Now it was Akira’s turn to gulp. A small blush formed along the face of the normally-collected Phantom Thief leader. She did raise a fair point. Even though the two were truly and deeply in love, they had only recently started dating. In fact, it was only a few weeks ago that Akira had confessed to Futaba, leaving her brain nearly catatonic in the process. The couple had gone on a few adventures together inbetween making way through Sae Niijima’s Palace but it was still something to get accustomed to.

“I know we’ll be fine. At the very least, Muhen’s reaction will be worth it for sure,” Akira assured his nervous teammate (and himself), referring to the fashionable host of the club. Because of the student’s numerous visits to the joint, he had become well-acquainted with the older gentleman despite being unable to drink any alcohol. Even Futaba was moderately able to relax around him. The tech wizard giggled at the thought of the bald man’s shocked face. She squeezed her boyfriend’s hand once more and moved towards the club stairs, letting him know that her nervousness was at least somewhat placated.

*********

“You two finally sealed the deal, huh? About damn time,” Muhen nodded in recognition once he saw the two teenagers’ fingers interlocked with each other. He crossed in arms in approval and despite the sunglasses covering his eyes, his face radiated an aura that could have only said “Finally.”

“Well that wasn’t worth it at all!” Futaba exclaimed in disappointment. A small pout made its way to her face as a tiny giggle escaped Akira’s lips.

“I didn’t think it was that obvious,” he self-consciously stated. The hand that wasn’t holding Futaba’s went up to twirl one of the many curls in his hair.

“You jokin’, kid? Out of all the people you’ve brought here, she’s the only one you’ve made those googly eyes at. Hell, you’re even doin’ it right now. Always makin’ me miss my younger days,” the older man replied, amused at the boy’s embarrassment. Akira’s cheeks were immediately flushed red as he put his head down to face the floor. He started to twirl his hair at high speeds. Futaba looked up and placed her eyes on her boyfriend, the disappointment replaced by a level of happiness that was foreign to her. Even though her blush was as big as Akira’s, the smile on her face was much bigger. The smaller teen was always the flustered one in their relationship so this moment felt like the ultimate victory for her. On top of that, he was reaching completely unfair levels of cuteness. Her luck stat must have shot up one thousand times just for tonight.

“W-We’ll take our seat now,” Akira stammered out, finally looking up to the club host’s sunglasses.

“Sounds good. Y’all want the usual?” Muhen questioned with a grin, alluding to the non-alcoholic special soda Akira usually ordered. The black-haired leader only nodded in response. Futaba let out a large mwehehe and the couple went off to their table.

*********

After endless discussion and four refills each, neither Futaba nor Akira noticed that nearly two hours had slipped them by. Their chairs were right next to each other, much closer than in previous trips to Jazz Jin. The orange-haired girl had once again taken the lead, talking about a Nintendo Switch game she started a few weeks ago, an anime she binged over the weekend and some new figures coming out within the coming month. While he wasn’t as avid a gamer, as enthusiastic about anime or manga, nor did he care that much about figures, Akira was able to match her fervor with his own. He spoke with her about the retro games he wanted to try next, upcoming movies that he wanted to see and anime he was potentially interested in. Some Phantom Thief discussion also managed to slip in (with hushed voices of course), particularly regarding stamina management and how often Oracle should use her buffs on the team.

This dynamic between the two was something that they were both incredibly grateful for. Futaba being the vigorous speaker and Akira being the always-attentive listener, ready to respond or question at any time. Akira also noticed that he was much more talkative with her than anyone else. More than Ryuji or Morgana. More than any of the other Phantom Thieves. More than Sojiro. Heck, the only people he could think of that came marginally close were Goro, Maruki-sensei and Kasumi.

The high school student didn’t understand what was it about Futaba that brought him out of his calm and quiet shell. Whatever it could be though, it was truly one of the reasons he fell in love with her. Even as his gaze focused on her, her hands flat on the table, chin on top and eyes glued to the glass cup of green-colored soda, he knew that the amount of affection and gratitude he felt towards her was very much a Futaba-exclusive. The concentrated girl eventually looked up from the soda towards the Key Item staring her straight in the face. Once more, her heartbeat began to beat at a higher speed.

“Wh-What’s up, pretty guy?” The former shut-in tried to be relaxed with her inquiry but it was an obvious failure.

“Not much. I love you,” With a pink face and a large smile, Akira answered with all the genuinity in his heart. Futaba’s own face instantly followed suit, except her communication stat dropped down to almost zero.

“L-Love I-I y-you too!” She miraculously managed to stutter out the words. Her chin landed back on her knuckles after a moment to breathe and relax her heart. Her eyes faced the glowing-green cup of soda.

“I’ve never noticed how bubbly this soda is,” Futaba said quietly, fascinated by the amount of bubbles floating within the cup.

“Mhmm. It’s much more carbonated than I’m used to but the flavor easily makes up for it,” Akira responded to her.

“Yeah. What was it called again? Ultimate... Super... something?” While her memorization skills were flawless, the genius’ attention usually wavered when it came to random details such as this.

“Sobriety Supreme. Apparently, something about it can instantly sober up anyone who’s had too much to drink. Can’t say I know the ingredients though.” the tall boy stated.

“Mwehehe. Seems like a magic potion,” Futaba chuckled at the thought of a witch stirring a pot full of the delicious drink. Akira smiled at the same image.

“This building is crazy nice too. The walls have a really old but pleasant feeling. There are also some seriously cool posters here,” Futaba continued. Akira grunted and nodded in agreement. Both of their eyes wandered around to the various posters strewn about the club. Phrases like “Law, Neutral, Chaos,” “heaven,” “Route 666” and “Going My Way” enhanced the strangely-chill vibe of the place, even though such words would normally give off a more intimidating presence. Maybe these Phantom Thieves were more comfortable with them because of their rebellious spirit though? Futaba placed the thought in the back of her mind.

“I’ve never thought about how well-designed it is,” she went on with her observations of Jazz Jin. “It’s big enough that it doesn’t feel cramped but it’s small enough that the music can reach every corner and the walk to the bar never feels too far.” As Futaba sat up, she raised her arm and placed her chin in the palm of her hand. Her gaze kept up its wandering, looking towards every nook and cranny, every surface, every color and absorbing it all.

“You’re sucking in every detail like Kirby does with food,” Akira said with an amused but curious tone. “What’s on your mind?”

Futaba let out a minor laugh at the reference (and at the idea that she was starting to have an influence on Akira’s speech patterns). Her eyes gave one last look at the area before they locked onto her Key Item.

“Well... I never really took the time to look at all of this before. Honestly, I couldn’t even imagine it.” She took in a deep breath before a wistful smile made its way onto her face. “Whenever we’d come to the club before, I tried as hard as I could to focus on just you. Because that was the only way I could be comfortable here.”

Akira nodded in understanding. While a place like this wasn’t on Futaba’s promise list, the curly-haired leader thought that visiting would be good training for the socially awkward girl. The first time they came to Jazz Jin, she could barely say a word to Muhen and she never looked away from either Akira or the table. As time passed and the two worked together to boost Futaba’s confidence in herself through promise list completion, she found herself able to relax a lot more in the jazz club. She could even converse casually with the fashionable host. Yet she never took the time to observe the place around her, only going off what the net told her.

“I know I said it before but... my world really is expanding every day. My eyes are seeing so many things I never bothered to pay attention to before. There’s just... so much to look at. I think I really am changing bit by bit, y’know? I wanna see as much of this huge world as I can. And... I want you to be there with me. Always.” There was nothing but warmth and sincerity in Futaba’s expression as she stared at her partner-in-crime and her partner-in-life. “Well, after we find out who’s leading Akechi and kick both of their asses.”

“Of course,” Akira responded, his smile as wide and wholesome as the navigator next to him. He placed a hand on top of Futaba and gave an affectionate squeeze. “We both have that right, remember?”

“Yeah,” she flipped her hand up so that their palms were touching and reciprocated the squeeze. “I seriously do owe you, Akira. None of this would have been possible if you didn’t save me. Showed me that Mom really loved me and that it’s okay for me to be myself. Even after that, you helped me complete my promise list. I got to reconnect with Kana-chan, Sojiro and I were able to get closer and we were even able to change Uncle’s heart. So many possibilities opened up because... you were there for me. Through all of it.”

A multitude of memories flashed through Futaba’s mind. Going to Akihabara. Recreating the promise list. Looking at school. Checking out a diner. Talking to Kana-chan again. Playing billiards and darts. The many trips to Jazz Jin. And so much more. The time these two have spent together gave Futaba a massive experience boost not only to her skills as the Phantom Thieves navigator, but to her self-confidence and trust. She didn’t know how she was going to repay Akira, but she didn’t mind spending as long as she could trying.

“Nah.” The young leader shook his head. The same memories were going through his head, yet he had reached a different conclusion. “The only one responsible for all of this is you, Futaba. You’re the one that reached out to us. You’re the one that fought as hard as you could to change. Sure, I gave a small push here and there but you did this yourself.” The instrumental music. The sound of Muhen pouring a drink for a customer. The small bits of chatter strewn about the club. All sound seemed to halt for the couple as they held each other’s hands and gazed into each other’s eyes.

“That’s... why I fell in love with you.” Akira went on. “Your bravery and determination not only in changing your heart, but in everything else that came after, was honestly a huge inspiration to me. You struggled with your societal anxiety but you never let that stop you from being yourself. Even as you were weighed down by the past, you never stopped moving forward. As I watched you complete your promise list and grow even further, I respected you more. I loved you more. I even... envied you a little.” Akira shook his head once more, reaching to take off his trademark glasses.

“I do my best to stay quiet and out of sight. I even wear these glasses to hide who I am. But you? You show off who you are in everything you do. You are always unapologetically yourself. And that’s something I’ll always love. Be proud of yourself, okay? You are the biggest reason for your growth. Not me. Not anyone else.”

This was the most anyone had ever heard Akira talk in one moment. Futaba’s brain attempted multiple times to formulate any sort of response and all attempts were immediate failures. She could only stare at her boyfriend, at this person Sojiro just happened to adopt. At this wonderful person who stared right back at her with a grin as genuine as his heart. The first tear fell from her eye right as she reached for him, wrapping both of her arms around his torso in a tight embrace. The hug was slightly awkward as they were both still seated at the table. That didn’t stop Akira though, whose right arm instantly fell around Futaba’s shoulders. The embarrassment of being in public ceased to exist as the two held each other for an inordinate amount of time.

“I love you so much.” Futaba whispered as small tears of happiness fell down her face.

“I love you too. Always.” Akira responded, squeezing her tight with his arm. He rested his cheek on top of her head. Time was frozen for girlfriend and boyfriend as they continued their loving embrace. Customers came and left. Alcohol was consumed and sometimes regurgitated. The music never stopped flowing. But all that mattered to Futaba and Akira at that moment was each other and how warm the other felt.

*********

“Uh, hey? Kids?” Akira’s eyes repeatedly blinked as he adjusted to the light and his consciousness slowly resurfaced. On his right side was a sleeping Futaba, arms still wrapped around his body, and on his left was Muhan, the sunglasses doing a poor job of hiding his concern. “Don’t mean ta interrupt your romantic outing n’ all but it’s getting kinda late. Your parents are probably gonna be mad, y’know?”

Akira shook his head side-to-side in order to snap himself awake and pulled out his cellphone. The shock destroyed any remaining sense of drowsiness as the time flashed in bright red numbers. It was well past the time they should have been home and Sojiro was likely planning his murder already. The tall student gently shook Futaba’s shoulder to wake her.

“Hmm... Five more minutes.” She muttered listlessly, not fully in the realm of the conscious just yet. Akira bent down and put his lips to her ear.

“Sojiro’s going to destroy us,” he whispered in a hushed yet urgent tone. That was all the hacker needed as she immediately snapped awake, lifting her body up and slamming her head into Akira’s chin in the process. Both of the teenagers held their heads in agony but eventually got up from the table and proceeded towards the exit.

“Thanks for everything, Muhan! We gotta make like a tree and leave outta here!” Futaba waved at the club host, who tipped his hat in response.

“We really appreciate it. Have a good night, man,” Akira said, the gratitude apparent in his voice. The older gentleman grunted and nodded, sending the kids off with a wave of his own.

The two Thieves sped towards the train station, barely making it on the last train towards Yongen-Jaya. Whatever caused the delay earlier seemed to have been taken care of as the announcer stated that the train would reach its stops on time. It was not difficult to find a seat, as the late night train was almost always empty. This was a blessing for the couple, having exhausted themselves on the full sprint towards the station.

Once more, Futaba pressed her head into Akira’s shoulder, wrapping an arm around his own arm. And once more in response, Akira’s cheek found its way towards Futaba’s orange hair, wrapping her fingers with his. Silence permeated the air of the subway car as the pair rested, neither of them asleep but neither saying a word. It wasn’t an uncomfortable quiet though. The two didn’t need words to show how much they appreciated that the other was there. Futaba would occasionally squeeze Akira’s arm and burrow into his shoulder more. Akira would nuzzle Futaba’s hair with his cheek and grip her hand a little tighter. It was a tranquil cycle of affection that would last the whole train ride.

“One day, I know you’re going to take those glasses off for real,” the young girl muttered with complete certainty. Akira’s eyes slightly widened before a large smile formed on his face. He squeezed her hand again with as much love as he could muster. The train eventually pulled into the Yongen-Jaya station and the pair walked towards Futaba’s house. Naturally, Sojiro scolded them so harshly that they were inflicted with Despair for about three days.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you so much for reading~ I have a bad habit of taking too long to write anything, usually because of research, trying to improve my style and accuracy focus. Because of that, it's pretty easy to get distracted or lose motivation. I've always wanted to improve my pacing and how much I write at a time. So that's what I tried with this fic. I challenged myself to create an idea, start writing it and finish writing it in a single day. No research or corrections. Just writing what I feel like and putting it onto paper. I was able to do it but I am a little sad cause this fic took about 8-9 hours lmao.
> 
> Jazz Jin is such a relaxing place that it was easy to write about. I also wanted to expand on Muhen a bit since I really like his design. When I completed the fic and read it in its entirety, it weirdly felt like a Futaba Confidant Rank 10.5 or 11 lol. I'm not sure if that was what I intended but I don't really mind~ I had a ton of fun just getting ShuTaba feelings onto paper without caring about accuracy or style. I wanna do more of these once in a while. Maybe every few weeks or once a month.
> 
> That's pretty much all I have to say! I still intend on doing a ShuTaba battle fic and I'll likely start working on it next week. Ideally it shouldn't take longer than 2 weeks but a month or longer is entirely possible lol. After that, no more writing until I completely finish P5R. Then we'll see what ideas end up coming to me. Once again, thank you so much for reading! If you have any questions, comments or feedback, leave them below or hit me up on Twitter [@DawnofScrubs](https://twitter.com/DawnofScrubs)


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